Report: Jimmy Butler, Heat Relationship Soured When Riley Challenged His Availability

Jimmy Butler's very-public and very-heated falling out with the Miami Heat is old news at this point, but what precisely caused the star forward to force a trade away from the organization?

Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported on Monday that, "According to multiple sources, Butler's relationship with the team took a turn last offseason when Heat president Pat Riley publicly challenged Butler to be available for more games and the Heat declined to give Butler a two-year, $113 million contract extension. Butler was also unhappy with tweaks made to the Heat's offense this season that he perceived left him playing in more of a complementary role than previous years."

And so Butler went scorched earth.

The aftermath has worked out just fine for him. His new team, the Golden State Warriors, have gone 16-3 in games he's played for them following the trade, while the Heat finally ended a 10-game losing streak on Sunday night with a win over the Charlotte Hornets.

The two sides will once again meet on Tuesday night when the Heat host the Dubs. Both sides will likely deny any revenge game narratives, but human nature would suggest both Butler and his former teammates will be playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulders after what transpired.